Dancing apparatus



Oct. 1, 1929. T, ARKIN 1,729,813

DANCING APPARATUS Filed July 1, 1929 Patented Oct. 1, 1929 THEODORE E. ARKIN,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS DANCING APPARATUS Application filed July 1,

. ment of the shoes of the dancer with the floor upon which the dancing is performed, one object of the invention being to provide apparatus of this character of a simple and in expensive form which will produce an effective display of sparks with a minimum of equipment. Another object is to provide apparatus of this character by which copious quantities of sparks may be produced by the dancer merely by means of frictional engagement of the dancers shoes with a suitable floor surface.

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a detail view illustrating the sole of a shoe equipped with a metal plate in accordance with the preferred form of the invention.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate the same parts.

Attempts have heretofore been made with varying degrees of success to provide dancing equipment by which sparks might be produced by contact of the dancers shoes with a suitable medium. This has involved the use of expensive and cumbersome equipment such as electric batteries and wires concealed in the clothing of the dancer and adapted to produce sparks due to the making and breaking of an electric circuit. The present embodiment of the invention provides an apparatus of a greatly simplified form, which is negligible in weight and of a construction which is simple and easy to manufacture without requiring any special tools or machinery.

The invention as disclosed includes the use of two materials one of which is preferably of an abrasive nature and the other of which preferably comprises a hardened metal. One

. of the materials is suitably incorporated in 1929. Serial No. 375,102.

or on the soles of the dancers shoes so as to be available for ready frictional engagement with the other material which is incorporated in the surface upon which the dancing is performed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, numeral 5 designates a shoe of more or less ordinary form suitable for what is ordinarily termed tap or clog dancing. A plate 6 of suitable material is secured to the shoe, preferably the toe portion, in any desired manner, as for example, by means of screws 7 While this plate may be formed from various materials, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is formed from a good grade of tempered tool steel. If desired one or more additional plates of the same or similar material may be secured at other points on the sole of the shoe as indicated, for example, at 8. Obviously any number of similar plates according to the particular desires of the dancer may be secured to the shoe and it is also obvious that these plates may take various shapes and forms.

In the case where metallic plates are used on the solesof the dancers shoes a suitable abrasive material or substance is incorporated in the surface on which the dancing'is to be done. While the abrasive substance could be incorporated in a permanent portion of the floor of a stage it is preferable for most purposes to have this abrasive material incorporated in a mat which can be removed from the floor at will and easily transported in a suitable container or stored in an out-oftheway place. As shown in Fig. 1, there is provided a mat 9 formed from a suitable strong fabric such as linoleum or a similar firm texture and relatively stiff material. On the upper surface of the mat 9 there is provided a layer 10 of any suitable abrasive material such as emery or carborundum. The mat could also be made with a surface of ordinary finely crushed commercial flint or so called sparking stone such as is used in cigar lighters and similar lighters. It has been found after experimentation that ordinary commercial emery cloth gives very satis factory results.

In place of plates of tempered steel secured to the shoe very excellent results can be obtained by securing pieces of so called sparking stone in the sole of the shoe and using the emery mat. The sparks from this combination are somewhat more brilliant than sparks obtained from steel on emery. In the case where sparking stones are used in the shoe soles the material of the mat could be varied and, instead of using an emery surface, a hard abrasive metallic surface having the characteristics of an ordinary metal file could be used.

The use and operation of the apparatus just described will be apparent to any one familiar with tap and clog dancing. The dancer,

whose shoes are provided with plates such as described, will usually give an exhibition of his dancing skill on a brightly lighted stage and on a portion of the stage floor not covered :with an abrasive substance. 'The audience Wlll not be able to observe anything unusual in the construction of the dancers shoes and it will therefore appear that the dancer is giving a more or less usual form of exhibition of dancing skill.

After the dancer has had an opportunity to display his skill on a brightly lighted stage the apparatus embodying the present invention may be used as a surprise element of the performance by having the stage quickly darkened whereupon the dancer will move to a different portion of the stage where the mat 9 has been placed and will continue his performance thereon. As soon as the plates on the dancers shoes begin to frictionally engage with the abrasive surface 10 a brilliant display of sparks from the dancers feet will be observed. The construction of the mat and the shoes is such that not only will the usual sounds be made by the dancers feet in time to the music but-in addition there will be a display of sparks forming a definite appeal to the eyes of the audience. Obviously the dancer may add to the efiectiveness of the display by wearing clothing which has been treated with radium paint or similar sub stances to cause it to glow in the dark.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that there is thus provided a very simple, inexpensive and reliable dancing apparatus which is available at all times for use without depending upon a more or less uncertain form of equipment such as electric batteries and pyrotechnic substances. It will be also apparent that the invention is not necessarily limited to the particular arrangement of materials illustrated in the drawings but that it is possible to obtain satisfactory sparking effects where the abrasive material is secured on the soles of the dancers shoes and the metallic plate forms at least a portion of the floor. In some instances it may be desirable to put a mixture of each of the several sparking substances on the shoes and the While the invention has been described as being applied to a dancers shoes it is equally obvious that equally effective results can be obtained by the use of the hands. ample, a glove could be made provided with metal plates or with emery for producing sparks when rubbed against a complementary sparking surface. This surface need not in all cases be on the floor but obviously could be located elsewhere as for example a pair of gloves could be used in which one glove was provided with a sparking substance complementary to the other glove. Also the sparksurface could be located at convenient points on the dancers body to be struck by a glove having a complementary surface. It is to be understood therefore that where reference is made in the appended claims to the dancers feet or shoes and to the floor surface these terms are to be construed broadly enough to include other manipulatory parts on the dancers body and to include any convenient surface adapted to be engaged thereby.

Vhile the present description sets forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, numerous changes may be made in the construetion without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being bad to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Dancing apparatus comprising in combination two complementary materials adapted to produce sparks when frictionally engaged one with the other, one of said materials being secured to the footwear of a dancer and the other of said materials forming at least a portion of the surface upon which dancing is to be performed.

2. Dancing apparatus comprising in combination an article of footwear and an abrasive surface upon which dancing is to be performed, said article of footwear including a material which when frictionally engaged with said abrasive surface will cause the production of sparks.

Dancing apparatus comprising in combination a shoe in which a portion of the sole thereof is formed of a sheet of hardened, t61'l'1}')GIeCl steel and a floor surface on which the dancing is to be performed, said floor surface being provided with an abrasive substance adapted to produce sparks when the steel portion of the shoe is frictionally rubbed thereagainst.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 29th day of June, 1929.

THEODORE E. ARKIN.

For eX-' 

